To think that this is a poor way to behave in a university lecture?

[malificent7]

Sat in front a group of girls in a lecture...first proper one of the module and I wish I'd said something.
They were laughing about the lecturers , were nattering on about everything and seemed to have a comment for everything the lecturer said.
I took 1 photo of a power point slide and they must have had a 3/4 minute discussion ( pisstake) about it. ( apparently it's fine to take photos of the big screen for notes. I had to check as was feeling paranoid in case I had committed a lecture faux pas.
They were behaving like a bunch of year 9 students win a sweet shop not a group of 18 year olds at uni.
In another lecture a paper aeroplane had been made but thankfully no-one had thrown it.
I am a mature student and therefore a boring old fart. Didn't help that I used to teach. But this is a respected science course and these young people will be treating the vulnerable if they qualify.
So am I a boring old fart and next time should I say something? The lecturer had to tell them to shut up several times.

I'd be willing to bet they'll all have dropped out by Christmas.

I agree they sound pathetic and childish though. Only suggestion is to try and sit elsewhere in future. I know there's no reason you should have to, but for your own sake you're probably better off avoiding them.

I was a mature student, I know how you feel.

I went on to be a lecturer, so I really do know what you mean.

As a student I turned round and said "Could you stop talking, I'm trying to get an education"

As a lecturer I often stopped and waited for the talkers to notice.

If I were you now I would probably have a good think about a short, snarky sentence along the lines of "I pity your future clients" of just a quick "Shut up" But I am a real grump these days!

Oh... and if the lecturer had to tell them to shut up more than once you know their cards have been marked... they won't last. There will be tears and parents will complain!

What a waste!

I was a boring old fart at Uni, albeit only ten years older than the usual entry age. I get what you mean...

Ignore, ignore. Have a word with your tutor and see if that helps. They'll probably drop out or if not, get a crap result!

I used to be a lecturer and the one that used to get me was when the students flounced in 10 minutes late holding a coffee from one of the campus coffee shops. Obviously getting in on time was less important than their latte.
For the record, I was always early, setting up, no coffee.

I've told a group of 3 to leave if they dont want to listen, because those who do can't hear over their noise.

Also a mature student, also used to teach.

It worked.

Sounds like they have a lot of growing up to do! Please come back and say the lecturer told them if they wanted to be treated like IMMATURE school kids they would be treated as such and told them to sit part from now on.

I think it's really valid to say, "I'm paying for this education. Can you be quiet?"

I was a mature student and experienced similar, I made my feelings clear in no uncertain terms using a few less than lady like terms.
Got a round of applause and a thankyou from the lecturer afterwards. I should add I am not confident person, butter being up all the previous night with a 3 year old i was not in the mood to have my time wasted.

• but after

I used to teach a girl (A levels) and she was the best crowd controller. She was really pretty (the boys were scared of talking to her) and when anyone was just chatting, she'd shout, "Oy, you! Shut the fuck up!" There would be quiet for several lessons afterwards.

My favourite lecturer used to lock the door for the first 10 minutes of his lectures. I was never that brave, he did get a lot of hassle for it. But standing, arms folded, glaring... occasionally inviting other students to make their views known... often got the message across quite quickly.

And I too have told small groups to leave and only to come back in future if they were sure that the module was one they really were interested in. Got me into a lot of trouble, but I always pointed to the vast majority of quiet listening, earning students in the room!

No one behaved like that when I was a student. As you said they sound like a bunch of y9 students. I bet they fail the first year exams.

I took 1 photo of a power point slide

Are they not available as electronic documents ?

Hundreds I think undergraduate degrees have been downgraded to the lower 6th level of 25 years ago...

When I did my first degree you attended lectures if you intended to listen and take notes, and stayed in bed (or whatever) otherwise. Attendance was only taken at tutorials, not lectures.

Treating undergrads like 16 year olds in almost every way these days mean they behave like 16 year olds...

YANBU. I'm on a postgraduate course and have been horrified. These are small lectures of 30 or 40 people so it's really noticeable. Pet hates so far:

The same person arriving over 30 mins late to every lecture.

People using laptops to take notes with the sound on so it keeps bonging everyone they hit the wrong button

People not turning their phones off so you hear every notification arrive.

And my gob was thoroughly smacked by the student who was on the phone during the lecture, to the extent the lecturer had to actually snap at them to put their phone away

I naively thought that people on post-grad courses would be a bit better behaved, evidently I was wrong...

They are but I wanted to refer to it on my phone throughout and would have taken longer to find it on the system when a quick photo will suffice. Not the pint though really.
As a teacher I sometimes asked students to take photos if the notes were long winded and I had to press on. Hardly merits a discussion.

And the paper aeroplane...why??????

Yrs I heard one of them comment that she was stressed on the library as she didn't understand..... prob because she wasn't listening.

When I started lecturing fifteen years ago, this sort of thing was never an issue. But in the last few years, I’ve had to deal with individuals who can’t put their phones down, students using their laptops (which I’m not allowed to ban from the classroom) for social media and shopping, habitual lateness and chatting / a general lack of attention span. That, and being quite blatant about the fact that they can’t be bothered going through the thought process that the question I pose to them in a seminar involves, and expecting to be told the answer because, you know, that’s what they’re paying money for. This is in a university that’s in the top ten in the league tables.

We had one have a tantrum because she felt she deserved to be given a first for her MSc as she was paying for it.

I've been known to stop a lecture, appologise profusely but say, "I'm really sorry but I didn't catch the last bit due to the noise in front of me".

The lecturer won't be happy at them if they have had to stop.

Many new uni students don't realise they are no longer at school, if they miss something the lecturer is not going to put on extra sessions and if they don't do well in a module they can be asked to leave.

Have you made any friends yet?

Conversations that are quite loud about an assignment / test in the next couple of weeks can be effective.

I find simply turning with an exasperated expression and saying "Please shut up" usually shuts them up. Works at concerts and in theatres too. They might raise eyebrows and grimace amongst themselves after that but I don't care.

Meh. I remember the mature students looking down their noses at younger students as they used to say we didn't know how good we had it, we should knuckle down, frowning at hangovers in lectures. It's part of settling into uni. Some will be immature

Re taking attendance - for professional courses (as the OP indicates she is on one) it may be a requirement of the professional body to which the student may eventually become a registrant that their attendance is recorded